


Dreidel ( A very Dansen Hanukkah beginning)

by PhenomenalBrat



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Background BraiNia, Background Supercorp, Chanukah, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Hanakkah, Hanukkah parties, Jeremiah Danvers mentioned, Mention of sex, Mentions of Cancer, Mentions or Arson, Minor Character Death, Original Characters - Freeform, mild social commentary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28152786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhenomenalBrat/pseuds/PhenomenalBrat
Summary: Alex shares some fond childhood memories with Kelly. Kelly pulls together an incredible mini Hanukkah party to cheer up Alex and create a new tradition for them to share together.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Dreidel ( A very Dansen Hanukkah beginning)

**Author's Note:**

> Author's notes: The Danvers family always struck me as being Jewish coded in some distant way. I'm not gonna pretend to be a complete expert on Hanaka tradition but I did research and ask other people before embarking on this narrative. 
> 
> Author's notes: This is the Hanakkah Dansen Alternative Universe story, the Christmas Dansen piece I'm crafting currently. It's kinda a "pick your own poison" choice between the two. This one is or should be rather sweet though. 
> 
> Trigger Warnings: Mentions of death, mentions of cancer, mild Anti-semitism event mentioned involving arson.

The cold night air of the steady December afternoon had created the perfect backdrop to some beautifully soft love making with her devastatingly gorgeous girlfriend. Alex found herself just watching Kelly sleep now. The ecstacy of three Orgasms sweeping away all stress in your body tended to have that effect. She smiled to herself with Kelly cuddled up in her arms.

She couldn't sleep. Actually she could have. She was definitely relaxed and intensely satisfied enough. Her brain was simply distracted. It wasn't even like it was the most awful thing in the history of the world had happened or anything. It was simply a sequence of recent events which had rendered her mildly sad and angry and melancholy really.

A few days ago, a package had arrived from Eliza. When Alex opened it. It was an old, small wooden box with a carving of the word  _ Chanukah  _ that Grandpa Aharon had done in traditional Hebrew lettering. An old dreidel had been inside; Not just any old dreidel either. It had been Grandpa Aharon's old dreidel that he had made for Alex years ago. Along with the dreidel had been an old picture. It was Grandpa Aharon sitting on the couch. Alex, who was probably all of seven years old in that picture, sat on his lap as he hugged her with one arm. He was handing her the dreidel as she smiled up at him.

Alex remembered Grandpa Aharon, as a source of light and love that had brought something special to their house every Holiday season. Her parents tended to celebrate both Christmas and Hanakuh in this loose amalgamation of both; one right on top of the other. They pulled from their own childhood traditions. Grandpa Aaron was always there to help light the first candle and walk Alex through what it ment. He called it,  _ Chanukah  _ and always started with a story. His salt and pepper hair and soft hazel eyes still stood out in Alex memories.

The picture and dreidel had been accompanied by a note from Eliza:

_ Honey, I found this old photo of you and your Grandpa. I thought it might be something you would want. I remember how close you two used to be. The old dreidel and little wooden box he made you were semi hidden away in your old room. Maybe we can find some way to keep some of those old traditions alive or reignite some old traditions. Maybe it's something you could share with Kara since she never got to meet Grandpa Aharon. _

_ Sweetie, I don't know how to tell you this; I don't know if you heard but Rabi Amon's Synagogue was set on fire. I'm not sure why but it's just been in my mind, consider what time of year it is. I guess that's what got me thinking about you Grandpa. _

_ Be safe, be super and take care of yourself.  _

_ -love Mom. _

Alex had been thinking about the gift for the past few days. Actually it might be fair to say that she'd been thinking alot about her family ever since Jeremiah passed away late last year. Memories had swept over her, coming and going often in the last few months, sometimes at the most unexpected moments if she was completely honest with herself. 

"Alex?" Kelly's sleepy voice softly called her name, interrupting her string of thoughts. 

"Babe…" She realized the night lamp had probably woken Kelly. "I- did I wake you."

"Alex," Kelly yawned a little, as she woke up more, "what are you doing up?" It's 11pm." 

"Just- just thinking." Alex gave a vague response. 

"About?"

"Nothing important."

"Alex?" The question and concern were clear from Kelly's tone.

"This old synagogue outside of town in Midville was...it got set on fire a week or so ago." Alex relayed the information soberly.

"Oh god." Kelly breathed out a startled gasp of surprise. She sat up.

Alex mulled over what she wanted to say or explain. "Rabbi Amon...this guy who ran the place, he- he was a really good friend of my Grandpa's."

"Oh. Is he-?"

"He's alright. Mom didn't indicate that he had- They just attacked his-"

"I'm so sorry." Kelly empathize and she moved in to pull Alex into a club. "You've never really talked about your Grandparents before."

"It's- I know. It's just a lot of memories there; A lot that happened before Kara was there."

"Do you- Do you wanna tell me about him."

"Well…" Alex began to reminiscent, finding herself flowing easily into a childhood memory.

**. . . .**

**(22 years ago) Alex age 9**

_ This would probably go down in history as one of the coldest winters Midville had ever seen. Alex had never minded the cold though. She liked this time of year. It was the time she got to be off school for weeks and the one time of year when her dad really leaned into his old family traditions. Grandpa Aharon came around and he always had stories and presents too. _

_ It was nearing 6pm on Tuesday evening when Grandpa Aharon showed up. Right behind him was Rabbi Amon and his niece Julianna. Alex loved this time of year cause of the family getting together. She loved seeing Julianna too. The past few years Grandpa Aharon had brought Rabbi Amon and Julianna with him for these get togethers'. He was always there for the candle lighting and reading. Right on time, he came through the door with his box of "magic cake" and guest.  _

_ Technically the "magic cake" was really just Sufganiyot ( fried donuts) but Julianna and Alex both called it magic cake. It was a joke between them that had just sort of stuck over the past few years. Julianna softly freckled cheeks had smiled a beautiful smile as she joked a few years ago about how, "anything that could turn pasted dough into yummy cakes was totally magical " and that had been that.  _

_ "Chang Sameach!" Rabbi Amon greeted as he entered. He was energetic and semi casual in his jeans paired with a red button up. It almost matched the dark black button up Grandpa Aharon wore. _

_ Grandpa Aharon was busy hugging Alex Dad, who had Opened the door for them. "Hey dad." _

_ Grandpa Aharon looked at the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room with a few early gifts set underneath. He grinned, good natured. On the other side of the living room near the window was a set up with the menorah on the table. Eliza had some fried flat breads and fruit set up as well. _

_ "Hey Lexi!" Julianna greeted Alex as she slipped past the adults. She wore a warm blue cotton dress that came down a little pass her knees; She had on simple black tights underneath that. _

_ "Jules!" _

_ They scampered off, over towards the table with the food. Julianna had her box with the Hanukkah bingo card game that Alex and her had played the past few years. Alex' own "magic box", with little candies and her toy dreidel that Grandpa Aharon made was safely tucked away for now. _

_ "My dad hid some stuff for the scavenger hunt around the house and backyard." _

_ "Bet you I can find it all." _

_ "Not if I find it first," Alex joked, as they both laughed. _

__ **_. . . ._ **

_ As everyone settled in and got their coats off, Grandpa Aharon gestured for Eliza and Jeremiah to go ahead and have a seat on the couch. He liked to do the first day candle lighting and blessing. Rabbi Amon was nodding and smiling as he watched from where he sat. It had gotten relatively dark enough outside for this. The blinds were turned. _

_ "Where are my little helpers? "Grandpa Aharon asked as he looked over towards Julianna and Alex. Alex was carefully holding on to the box of candles that he was gonna use.  _

_ "Here you go," Alex handed him the first candle for the center of the menorah and Julianna gave him the box of matches. _

_ "Okay girls, since you're getting to be older can you help an old man out and tell us what the candles are for. I- I don't recall." _

_ "Grandpa!" Alex laughed at the absurdity. _

_ "For Hanukkah!" _

_ "And the miracle with the oil!" Alex chimed in to help Julianna.  _

_ "And cause we got the temple back from the bad guys." _

_ "And the food too Jules." _

_ The adults watched this back and forth with Aharon and the kids. _

_ "Oil you say? Miracles and food?" _

_ "Grandpa !" _

_ "Okay." He laughed before growing serious.  _

_ Everyone waited as he picked up the center candle and lit the first candle on the outer edge of the menorah. "I'll be brief." _

_ Everyone laughed a little at that assertion. _

_ "Baruck atah Adonai Elinhenuih melech Hoalam asher kid'shanu bmitzvatov vtzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah." Grandpa Aharon recited the blessing from memory as always. Alex smiled at him. She had never quite memorized it herself but she loved the intonation he put into it as he said it. "Happy Chanukah." _

_ Everyone was quiet for a moment before Rabbi Amon spoke up. "Alright. Gift time!" _

_ "Magic cake!" Julianna and Alex both demanded in unison. _

_ Alex had no way of knowing that this would be one of the last time they ever really did the Hanakkah and Christmas thing together. The next 18 months were set to sweep Grandpa Aharon's health away as cancer ravaged his body. They had no way of seeing that coming though.  _

**. . . .**

**(Present)**

**"** I wish you could of met Grandpa. He would have adored you." Alex told Kelly, feeling absolute certainty that Grandpa would have found her girlfriend enchanting. 

"He sounds amazing." Kelly sounded like she was thinking pretty deeply. "I'm so sorry about your family's friend getting his church attacked. "

"I don't think Kara ever got to meet Rabbi Amon," Alex recalled. "It was just really hard to keep in touch after Grandpa…"

"Do you want us to maybe do some-"

Alex dismissed the idea. She didn't want to dump something random and new on Kelly. " No. No. I- mean- I was just thinking. That's all. Besides it's too compl-"

"Nothing that matters or means something to you is too complicated. "

"Maybe." Alex breathed the thought out, more so than spoke it.

Kelly kissed her on the forehead. "Get some rest and maybe we can think about it in the morning okay?"

"Kay' "Alex agreed as she finally began to feel restfulness creeping up on her now that she had talked through her thoughts with her lover. 

**. . . .**

**(2 day later)**

December 10 was shaping up to be the start of one of those cold snap weeks, in Alex' opinion. The line at the grocery store hadn't helped her mood either. Alex really needed to get home and eat dinner with her girlfriend. Kelly had promised to make something special. 

As she finally arrived back in front of their apartment she noticed Lena's car parked on the side of the street. She figured, that meant Kelly had invited both Kara and Lena over. It occured to her in some part of her brain as Christmas season came up, that today was the first part of Hanakkah. That was probably why Kelly had invited Kara over. Alex figured they were having a small dinner. 

**. . . .**

She stepped into the apartment to find Kara and Lena on the couch. They were talking quietly as Lena laughed freely at something that Kara had said. John was in the kitchen cooking something that smelled really good to Alex as she stepped through the door. Brainy and Nia were on the other side of the room and as Alex looked over, she realized that they were talking to Eliza.

"Mom!"

"Hey sweetie!"

Nia waved. 

"Alex." Brainy's greeting was very on brand for him and then he went back to whatever extensive conversation about " _ bio-fields"  _ that he was having with Eliza.

Alex was a mixture of joy and confusion to see her mother.

Kelly was standing by the window and as she stepped back Alex noticed a medium sized menorah on the window seal. It was the same one Grandpa Aharon used to light when she was a kid. Alex' eyes were fixed to it. Where had her mom and Kelly found it at? She hadn't seen it in years.

"Babe." Kelly waved her over.

Alex walked over as she looked around noticing Jonn was making " _ magic cake "  _ and the fruit and was set up on the counter. Everyone had a wrapped gift by their feet too, that she noticed now.

"Hey."

"I hope this is okay?" There was a hint of question in her voice as she checked in with Alex. " I just kinda figured that Hanakkah and Christmas are both about family, togetherness and celebrating a miraculous event so maybe this year we could do both." She gestured around the room. "Everyone bought a secret gift for the blue elephant game and your mom gave Jonn some recipes." She watched Alex for a moment and was clearly gauging her feelings in real time.

Alex stared for a moment at Kelly and felt like she was falling in love all over again. "You know me too well."

"I know you said you weren't sure but with everything that-"

Alex cut her off with a quick kiss. "This is perfect. I've been missing my mom too."

Kelly held out the small wooden box Alex had shown her the other day. 

"I made a gift for you. It's in the box."

Alex opened the box to find a brand new toy dreidel made from wood. It was painted blue. "How did you?"

"Many skills." Kelly Demurred. 

"I love you."

Kelly sat another wrapped gift on the table. It was small and wrapped in silverfish white Christmas looking paper. "Something else for you."

"Oh?" Alex perked up feeling the curiosity that came with the season.

"Yeah. Don't open it right now though."

That gave Alex some very dirty thoughts about what the gift might be for a moment. 

"Is it-"

"Hold that thought babe." Kelly turned to address their friends in the room. "Are you guys all ready for this?"

"I've read everything." Brainy started to explain. 

"Some of the kids I grew up with-" Nia was talking too."

"I didn't know you guys were Jewish?" Lena commented. 

"Oh well-" Kara started to fill in the blank on Lena's question

Eliza moved across the floor. She held a paper in her hand with the Hanukkah blessing Grandpa Aharon used to recite, written down. She also had what looked to be a small box of matches. Alex assumed she was gonna read it out and light the candles. Instead of taking the healm, Her mother handed the paper to Alex and the matches to Kelly. 

"Lead the way," she told them, before mentioning, "Oh by the way, Rabbi Amon called back after I called to check on him," Eliza explained. " He's staying with Julianna and her fiance Elizabeth for a while." Eliza was very casual as she relayed the information before going to sit back down.

Alex couldn't put her finger on it but in that moment she felt like something was coming full circle. It was like she had gotten back a missing piece to a puzzle that had sat unattended in her mind without her thinking about it consciously for a while. Her brain momentarily back tracked to the words "... _ Julianna and her fiance Elizabeth…"  _ and for a moment she thought about her old childhood friend and what her journey might of been.

"Okay. This is sorta something old and something new for me," Alex told her friends. " Grandpa always said, "Chanukah is as much Remembrance, hope and faith as it is, just good friends, family and food. 

Kelly lit a match, preparing it for Alex to light the center candle. "Here you go," Kelly offered her the match. Alex lit the middle candle, before blowing out the match.

"Okay bare with me, that I read this right. This is the prayer Grandpa always said when he did this," Alex explained. She could practically hear her Grandpa Aharon's voice as she began to recite the prayer out loud, while using the middle candle to light the first candle on the menorah. "Baruck atah Adonai Elinhenuih melech Hoalam asher kid'shanu bmitzvatov vtzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah." 

_ "Happy Chanukah."  _ Grandpa Aharon's voice whispered in her mind.

There was quiet for a moment before Eliza spoke. " Alright. Gift time-"

"And magic cake." Alex took Kelly's hand.

"I have been wanting to try this magic cake since you mentioned it."

And just like that, the Superfriends had a new and old tradition. 

_ Happy Hanukkah!! _

**FIN**

Thank you for reading. Please leave Questions, kudos, comments or Constructive criticism below.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's notes: Not to be that person, and not that I'm the authority to speak on this subject, but if you enjoyed this story, it may be worth researching ways to support your Jewish or adjacent friends in Tumultuous situations of Antisemitism. Antisemitic attacks sound like they should or would be something of the past but they're still happening today. Just to name a few, there was a man dragged behind a truck after some anti Semitic insults were hurled at him. That was just on 12/14/20 in Kentucky. The Jewish community in Ukraine recently had their community Giant Menorah toppled by a man using a truck as he screamed, " the Jews to the grave" and other volatile statements. This was in 2020. While not as physically violent, 2020 also saw some cyber attacks towards Jewish school's, with national propaganda and threats being downloaded for the children in these school's to see and be harmed by. These aren't isolated incidents, and they are harmful in tangible ways. The USA does not seem to recognize Hanakkah or Chanukah as a federal Holiday in the same way that Christmas or Thanksgiving are either. So that's just some things to consider.
> 
> Author's notes: Thanks for anyone who had time to read this or answered questions that helped me put this together. I think it's 100% valid to find representation for different identities, religions and sexualities from the characters we consume in the media. I'm hoping this fic was at least someone in the right ball park and not offensive to those who do celebrate Hanakkah. On that note, for those waiting for the Dansen Christmas story, it is still coming soon. 
> 
> PhenomenalBrat 


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